Vegan Iowa: Plant-based in the Hawkeye State

This vegan Iowa round-up features plant-based options from across the state: Des Moines, the Quad Cities, Iowa City, and more.

When I told David about today’s vegan Iowa restaurant round-up, he joked that it should just go to an error page. “File not found. Try again in a few years.” That gave us both a good laugh… But seriously, even though vegan options in Iowa aren’t as plentiful as they are in other parts of the globe, there are still some surprising options if you know where to look.

(Keep in mind, this isn’t a comprehensive list of every vegan option in the state.)

Des Moines

Krunkwich

Krunkwich Ramen House is my favorite restaurant in Iowa – easily. (You can read my full Krunkwich write-up here.) So you can imagine my chagrin when they closed suddenly this summer because their grease trap came to an unexpected demise. Their doors were closed for 3 painful months. Ultimately, they decided to leave their former location in the East Village behind and move to Ingersoll Avenue.

The day after they opened, I bolted to Des Moines to get my fix. The new location has great foot traffic, and the restaurant is brighter and more spacious. The service at Krunkwich is excellent, which is a rarity at an order at the counter place. And the food? Every bit as glorious.

As you’d expect, there’s ramen on the menu, along with noodle & rice dishes, sandwiches, and rotating specials. They describe their food as “Midwestern flavors within the confines of Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other Asian cuisines.”

We started with an order of Krunk tots (above). They have several tot options, but David doesn’t like his tots smothered with things. So we got some vegan miso whiz on the side for dipping instead.

For my main dish, I ordered the dan dan noodles (below). The thick, udon noodles are tossed in a Szechuan-style dressing and chili oil. They are topped with chewy crumbles of ginger seitan and shiitake mushrooms, along with pickled red onions and cilantro.David went with his standard order, Krunk rice with seitan (above). The generously-portioned fried rice is filled with edamame, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and onions. (You can have it with your choice of seitan or tofu, but seitan is totally the way to go. Their seitan is magic. They use the boiling method for making seitan, and it has magnificent chew and flavor.)

We also got a couple of orders to go – more Krunk rice for David and the vegan ramen for me. (You’ve got to love their attention to detail, even in the way they pack their ramen to-go orders. They separate the broth from the ingredients that go inside, so that they stay fresh and not water logged.)

Anyway, I’m so very glad that Krunkwich is back at last. Don’t ever do that to me again. 😉

Tacopocalypse

Like Krunkwich, the restaurant isn’t exclusively vegan, but they have lots of interesting vegan options. (Sure, I enjoy a bean burrito as much as the next vegan, but I really appreciate it when a restaurant offers something more interesting than that.)

The picture above of a tofu scramble was from their Sunday brunch, which sadly, is now a thing of the past. However, there are lots of vegan options on their regular menu with tasty things like seitan andouille tacos, vegan chorizo tacos, masa fries, and potato poblano tacos. (To make the potato poblano tacos vegan, sub the creamy topping with spicy Vegenaise instead.)

Looking for other vegan-friendly places in Des Moines? Check out these posts on Malo and Ritual Café.

Iowa City

Molly’s Cupcakes

There are a couple of places in the Iowa City area with vegan cupcakes, and Molly’s is one of them.

(Molly’s also has locations in North Liberty, Des Moines, Chicago, and New York.)

The décor at Molly’s is pretty adorable with school desks, swing chairs, board games to play, and lunch boxes. Like cupcakes themselves, the trappings make you feel like a kid again.

Most of the cupcakes at Molly’s are not vegan. However, vegans can order either chocolate or vanilla cupcakes with a choice of peanut butter, vanilla, or chocolate frosting. (Make sure to qualify that you’d like the vegan version of these, since they may offer non-vegan versions as well.) The cakes and frostings are kept separate, and so they don’t frost them until you order.I wish they’d offer more interesting vegan options in line with the non-vegan choices they have, even if it was one option that switched weekly or monthly. It would give more reason to make a special trip. (I still dream about the vegan red velvet cupcake from Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank, California.) It’s hard to be blown away by a plain chocolate or vanilla cupcake, but I appreciate that they have a vegan offering at all.

They also have soy milk for their coffee drinks, and I’m a big fan of their lattes.

(Another option for vegan cupcakes is Scratch Cupcakery. They have one vegan flavor, and it rotates by the month. They have locations in Cedar Falls, Coralville, Waterloo, and West Des Moines.)

Her Soup Kitchen

Her Soup Kitchen has the kind of hours I’d like if I owned a restaurant. They’re open weekdays from 11 to 3. They’re not the most convenient hours for me as a restaurant-goer, since David and I do most of our dining out on the weekends. However, they’re obviously not lacking for business. Whenever I’ve gone the tables have been packed with happy diners.

Her Soup Kitchen offers simple, down to earth food. The vegan options aren’t listed on the menu, but the staff is knowledgeable about which salads and sandwiches can be prepared vegan.

There’s also usually one soup on the menu that’s vegan. Plus, dairy based cheese can be swapped out for avocado for no additional charge. (I really appreciate when businesses don’t charge for avocado when they’re removing other pricy ingredients.)

I particularly like the grilled market sandwich (above). It comes with grilled eggplant and zucchini, roasted red peppers, red onions, and tomatoes on ciabatta. It’s smeared with sun-dried tomato tapenade. It typically comes with dairy-based cheese that I swapped out for avocado. On the day I was there, they were offering vegan vegetable soup, and so I chose that as my side.David got the apple/pear salad. A bed of greens were topped with sliced pear and apples, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. It typically comes with dairy-based cheese, and so he added avocado instead.

Trumpet Blossom

I’ve written about Trumpet Blossom many times over. It’s currently Iowa’s only full service vegan restaurant.

Their menu is seasonal, and they updated it a few months ago. For starters, the breaded and fried mushrooms go down easily. They come with a small jar of pickled celery.

Of course, it may be possible to go to Trumpet Blossom and not order their sweet potato fries, but that is mostly a hypothetical quandary for me.

The solstice salad (below) is similar to the kale & wheat berry salad with lemon tahini dressing that I like to make at home. It’s stuffed with brown rice, roasted vegetables, and falafel patties.As for drinks, I’ve really gotten into their lemonade, which is made with fizzy water instead of still. It’s perfectly mouth puckering, the way lemonade should be. It’s the drink that inspired the sparkling strawberry lemonade I like to make at home now.

David has been into an iced coffee drink that is made with coffee ice cubes and almond milk. It’s topped with flecks of dried rose, which compliments the flavor nicely.

Kalona

Kalona Brewing Company

For a town that only has a population of 2,452, you may be surprised to learn that there are vegan options in Kalona, Iowa at Kalona Brewing Company.

For starters, we got beer battered onion rings. When I was there and took this picture, the sauce that came with it was vegan; sadly, it isn’t anymore. (Their distributor stopped carrying Vegenaise.) However, you could dip in ketchup instead. They also have a hummus appetizer.

For the main event, go for a cheeseless pizza with your choice of veggies. We went with spinach and mushrooms, and for the base, pesto. (Their pesto doesn’t include cheese, making it a vegan option.) I’m always a fan of the fire-licked flavor of a wood-fired pizza, and this was no exception.

After you’re done with dinner, grab a drink and some friends and head over to the rotating Scrabble board.

Marengo

Iowa Farm Sanctuary

About 10 minutes away from the Tanger Factory Outlets, you’ll find Iowa Farm Sanctuary – a haven for rescued farmed animals. It opened in 2016, and was co-founded by Shawn & Jered Camp. They have been rescuing abandoned, abused, and neglected cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens ever since.

During warm weather months, they have open barn days on Sunday afternoons. They also have a few events throughout the year, where visitors can meet the animals. The events usually include catered vegan food from caterers like Brightside Kitchen and Trumpet Blossom Cafe.

Past events have also included live music, and a cooking demonstration by yours truly, where I showed how to make vegan three bean chili.

Quad Cities

Simple Superfood Cafe

Simple Superfood Café in Davenport is not exclusively vegan, but they have an ample amount of vegan offerings. They have loads of juices, smoothies, and raw options. They were out of a number of things when I was there, and so I had to change my order a couple of times. However, I was more than happy with where I finally landed.

I got the simple pad thai with raw zucchini, carrot, and beet noodles (above). The noodles were topped with spinach, hemp seeds, and a very thick seed butter sauce. (I had to thin it with a little water to be able to toss it with the noodles.)David got the simple south of the border. This grain bowl is made with sprouted amaranth, quinoa, brown rice, and wild rice. It’s topped with greens, corn dragon pico, and a chimichurri sauce.

Both of our meals were very fresh and flavorful. With such earth-friendly food, it would be great if they switched to reusable plates and forks for eat-in guests.

Simple Superfood Cafe is a welcome addition to the Quad Cities, which doesn’t have anything else like this in the area.

Olive Tree Cafe

Olive Tree Cafe offers a wide variety of Mediterranean options. They have an extensive menu of salads, bowls, wraps, flatbread pizzas, and more. The vegan options aren’t marked on the menu, but they do denote vegetarian options. So you at least have a starting point from where to ask questions.

Whenever we go to the Quad Cities, I like to pick up a container of the baba ganoush from Olive Tree Cafe, even if we don’t get lunch or dinner there. Instead of being completely smooth, it has chunks of eggplant in it and the mild, smoky flavor I crave.

The last time we were there, I got the overflowing falafel bowl (above), which was packed with rice, salad, hummus, and baba ganoush. It usually comes with dairy-based cheese, and so I asked them to leave it off.

David got the Mediterranean salad (below) with mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and Kalamata olives. It typically comes with dairy-based cheese, and so he omitted that.And of course, an order of stuffed grape leaves is never amiss.

The last time I was there, I overheard the dishwasher raving about how much he enjoys working there and that the biggest perk is that he loves the food. It’s always a good sign when you overhear happy employees.

I have officially drooled all over my computer! :) What a great post, as always! I'm loving the name Tacopocalypse and the atmosphere in Molly's is adorable! Love those swings...and that cupcake looked pretty dreamy. I'd say you have a pretty decent vegan food selection there and if I ever find my way to Iowa, I know where to go! Oh, those onion rings look INSANE! xo

Isn't the name Tacopocalypse fun? I love both saying it and typing it. It's definitely one that confuses people and requires some repeating when others are hearing about it for the first time. But I love it that they didn't let it stop them from naming their restaurant that. It's kind of like when Isa chose "Veganomicon" as her cookbook name. That's what makes it so memorable.
The atmosphere at Molly's is super adorable. In fact, when I went there with my best friend and her young daughters, one of the girls decided that she needed to go to the University of Iowa solely because there was a cupcake place with swings near campus. I've heard worse reasons for choosing a college! ;)

Yes, the swing chairs are so much fun. If given the option, I'll always choose to sit on those when I visit. And yes, Tacopocalypse is one of those names that you have to spell out in your head whenever you say it. :D

Great post. So nice to know of these options when I return to Iowa and drive through Des Moines. I've been to Trumpet Blossom many times and almost always order the Reuben and fries. Both are amazing.
Can't wait to try some of the other locations you featured.

Thanks, Don! I'm glad I could help in your drive across the state. If you're a reuben fan, you should also check out the tempeh reuben at New Pioneer Co-op in Coralville or Iowa City. They make their own marbled rye in house, and I have a hard time ordering anything else when I'm there. It's included in this reuben round-up: http://cadryskitchen.com/2015/04/07/vegan-reuben-round-up/

That's a good question, Danielle. I spend most of my time in eastern or central Iowa, and so I don't have cause to visit that part of the state as much. Usually if I'm going through there, I'm on my way to Omaha. I do have a vegan Omaha round-up, though, if you get that far! When I've looked on Happy Cow, not a lot of western Iowa restaurants have been added to their site, except for a couple in Sioux City. That may mean that options are slight in western Iowa, or it may mean that Iowans who live there don't add a lot of restaurants to the site.

Thank you for your reply! My MIL and SIL live in Omaha and used to live in Western Iowa, not far from I-80. My husband and I have always been disappointed in food options for us between Des Moines and Omaha. I had been wondering if you knew of anything that we hadn't discovered for ourselves. Maybe with more digging we can find a decent Mexican or Asian restaurant in a town not far from the interstate with veg options. We have been to at least a couple of restaurants you wrote about in your Omaha post, but I bookmarked it for future reference.